Roses Are Red
by Aisling-Siobhan
Summary: [Loki/Tony] Tony hasn't had a valentine since he was fourteen years old, but this year there is someone he really wants to ask. The problem is that that person is already Tony's sort of fuck buddy and Loki has never hinted at wanting more.


"**Roses Are Red**"

**Disclaimer**: The Avengers, Tony, Loki, etc belong to Marvel, Stan Lee, et co. I make no money from this and own nothing, don't sue.

**Summary**: [Loki/Tony] Tony hasn't had a valentine since he was fourteen years old, but this year there is someone he really wants to ask. The problem is that that person is already Tony's sort of fuck buddy and Loki has never hinted at wanting more.

**Warnings**: Slash. Loki/Tony. Post-Avengers. Fluff. AU.

**Rating**: PG-13.

**A/N**: Yeah. I need to get my hands on some Prozac or something. My fics are made of tears and dead unicorns.

_XXX_

**Words**: 884

**Chapter 1**

It wasn't a day that Tony had ever been particularly bothered about. Back in high school, yeah, maybe; actually he remembered this one girl, her name had been Sarah or Susan or something with an S, but he remembered buying her flowers for Valentine's Day. He had been fourteen and she'd taken the flowers with a smile and a kiss to Tony's cheek and told everyone who would listen that she and Tony were boyfriend and girlfriend and that they were going to get married and a few months later Tony accepted a place at M.I.T. Sally hadn't taken that too well, Tony remembered. She'd turned up at his house one night, a new bunch of roses in hand, which she had beaten Tony across the head with once he answered the door.

It had been Tony's longest relationship (not including the two years with Pepper or this relationship) and it had been the only one where Tony bought Valentine's gifts. Pepper usually bought all of her own gifts on Tony's card, birthday, Christmas, holiday bonuses, but she always bought them herself and thanked Tony ironically after the fact.

It had rightly put him off of the idea of committing to a relationship in that way. Tony hadn't liked the idea of giving anyone else _ideas_ about him.

Until now.

It was stupid, how nervous he was all of a sudden. He'd propositioned thousands of people, charmed them right out of their underwear, and yet the idea of handing over a bunch of flowers was making his palms sweat and his knees knock together with nerves. He was wearing a suit, one of his nicer ones, with a bow tie that he had to beg Pepper to drive over and sort out for him because Tony kept tying it in knots instead of the bow it was supposed to be. She'd fixed his cuffs, straightened his collar, and shoved a bouquet of roses and lilies into his arms.

Valentine's flowers, she had called them. Tony had given Pepper back the roses, but kept the lilies, adding them to the handful of chrysanthemums he had had Happy drop over earlier.

Funeral flowers, Tony had replied. Loki would like them more. Even if he hated flowers and didn't understand Valentine's, Loki would at least find the meanings amusing.

The short walk from his bedroom to the elevator seemed to take an hour, but the ride down to Loki's and Thor's floor flew by in a second. Before Tony knew it, he was standing in front of Loki's door, hand raised to knock and stomach rolling. "Shit," he hissed, "fuck."

They weren't even actually going out. Sometimes they fucked, and sometimes they slept in the same bed and Loki curled around him which made him the small spoon but that was ok because it was Loki and he was cold and made the too warm bed the perfect temperature and he was Loki. Sometimes they went out for dinner and Loki changed into different women to keep the press talking and they held hands on the walk back to the car instead of Tony keeping his hand on Loki's ass like he usually did with all of his other dates. But this was different. This was Loki, and Tony wanted them to be going out.

But what if Loki didn't? What if Loki laughed in his face, or fuck what if Loki had already gone out to dinner with someone? He and Steve were surprisingly good friends and maybe there were feelings there that Tony had never noticed and he was just setting himself up for an awfully bad fall.

He turned on his heel, flowers dangling at his side, and he only got half a foot away from the door before it swung open.

"Jarvis said you had been standing there for a while. Were you planning to knock or just practicing for a lucrative career as a stalker?" Loki raised an eyebrow. His hair was swept back and his green eyes widened at the sight of the flowers, but he was also dressed in a suit, obviously having asked Jarvis how Tony was dressed so that he could match, assuming that Tony had come by to take him out. "What are they for?"

"I love you?" Tony blurted the words out and five seconds later his brain caught up with his mouth and his cheeks flushed. "I mean, eh, do you want to go to dinner with me? As my date? For Valentine's night?"

"Eloquent as always, Stark," Loki replied with a chuckle. He took the flowers, conjuring a vase and placing them carefully inside before leaving them on a side table. "Shall we then?" He asked, holding out his hand for Tony to take. Loki led the way to the elevator, Tony following complacently, surprised that he hadn't been rejected but then again Loki hadn't reciprocated either.

"So," Tony said as they made their way to the car. Happy opened the doors for them, and closed them after them too, and Loki lent over across the seat to press a kiss against Tony's cheek. "Will you be my Valentine?" Tony winked at him, smiling widely.

"I love you too," Loki told him, before leaning over again to kiss Tony's lips this time.

**The End**


End file.
